Fire 'suspicious'

By Dan Hilborn
Published Sept. 24, 2005


The two-storey building that housed Mainland Communications near the corner of Canada Way and Boundary Road was seriously damaged in a suspicious fire that broke out at about 5 a.m. Saturday.

Burnaby RCMP called out the police dogs to search the neighourhood for suspects, while traffic on the busy arterial route had to be rerouted for about four hours.

"There's been extensive damage to the building and it's possibly a complete loss," said Burnaby fire investigator Perry Talkkari. "At this point, the investigation is just too dangerous to continue until a structural engineer comes in and determines if the floor needs more support."

According to Charlie Sigvardsen, owner of the nearby Charlie's Chocolate Factory, the fire at 3737 Canada Way completely gutted the western side of the building, which was originally a single-family residence. The structure was converted to business use more than 30 years ago, and may be best remembered as the one-time home of the '59 Grill restaurant.

"RCMP investigators believe that this fire is suspicious in nature and are working with the fire department investigators to determine the exact origin and the person or persons responsible for igniting this fire," said Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre.

There were no injuries or loss of life as a result of the fire, he said.